Cost for 45,000 mile check up?

[CPAScott]

Hi! I have a 2005 Outback L.L. Bean that just crossed the 45,000 mile mark. I've been thinking of taking it to a dealer because I want to be 100% sure the car gets a solid looking over and becuase I want them to address two specific issues:

1. A slight rattle from under the car -- probably the heat shields or a loose bracket.

2. The rear cargo net needs to be reattached.

 

The second issue was the primary reason to take it to the dealers -- the little knob that the cargo net attaches to pulled out and I can't figure out how to reattach it. The last time I took it to a different dealer for an oil change they told me the hole had been drilled too big. But this part was included on the original window sticker (I bought the car used) so it must have been installed either by the factory or the original dealer. Thus it seems strange that it would be installed wrong, requiring replacement of the entire internal molding and redrilling in order to fix it (think $250). Thus, a different dealer for a second opinion.

 

But the 45,000 service alone at MetroWest Subaru in Natck, MA is $220 - $250. Yikes, that seems expensive.

 

What should this service cost? Is it worth it?

[nipper]

WTF?

 

www.cars101.com

 

45000 miles:

Oil change

Inspect brakes, cv joints, parking brake (they do that when ever the car gets on the lift anyway)

Rotate tires.

 

 

What else are they doing for that money?

 

nipper

 

PS they may try to sell you an exhaust system to fix the heat shields, I had someone try that on me. Get under the car, shake the front heat shields, as they are the one that rattle, then use a large hose clamp to silence them.

[idosubaru]

Nope, bad idea, good thing you asked. already out of warranty, that sucks.

 

the "Services" are marketing, revenue generating sales items. very rarely should you pay for any "XXXXX mile service". they have a percentage of important services embedded in them, the rest is essentially well worded sales hype. dealerships are rolling in cash on stuff like this.

 

what i would recommend is find the important things and be sure to address those...like oil change, transmission fluid change, timing belts (yours is probably a chain - H6).

 

get your little owners manual and go through the items you've already passed and the ones coming up and figure out what really needs to be done. ask here to clarify.

 

like nipper said the rattling is heat shields. annoying. i always rip them off.

[1997reduxe]

Yeah, it's amazing what they charge at some of the dealerships for maintenance.

I've actually seen prices of like 500-700 dollars for some mileage intervals, maybe 60 thousand or 90. But on the other hand, I have to say that the dealerships have often been very nice and helpful, sometimes looking my car for over an hour and their evaluation at no cost!

I have always just bought one of those Haynes books for my vehicle at pep boys or wherever, and follow the maintenance there in the front of the book.

And/or, do an internet search for mechanics specializing in subarus, or look on cars.com, they have a "find a mechanic" section (with reviews) somewhere on their main page.

i just re-found a guy through that that site that i'd forgotten about down here outside houston. he's very honest and fair on prices for labor.

I really miss the two mechanics i used to have up in PA.

One was very very honest and charged like 80s prices (early eighties), the other was an ex-subaru mechanic who had his own shop and did all the same work as subaru but for like 1/2 the cost.

wonderful.

[aircraft engineer]

when Sis bought Dragon she took it to Puyallup Subaru for a free "evaluation". They came back with "head gaskets" (and we also do all of these "other" little things at the same time - timing belt, water pump, etc for "only" $1800. PLUS diag time to determine which rear wheel bearing was howling. My fine tuned ear <sarcasm off> did that in 3 miles (would have been even LESS time if I had been able to find the stethoscope)

 

Didn't NEED the head gasket, _I_ did the mechanicals on the car, parts were $240 or so (including the JY rear hub/housing which I had to disassemble and swap the drum brake onto). Plus all the help I got HERE <bowing in appreciation>

 

Labor rate is $100/hour. When she went back to get some other things, they remembered the car and noted that it didn't smoke like it was on fire any more.

[mtsmiths]

I folllow grossgary's method. We have a great young service writer at Simpson's in Kalispell, and he lnows I know, if you know what I mean.

 

When I take it in for an interval onspection we write the specific items to be address, and that's all. I don't know if it's because he is basically honest, or because he knows I will be reviewing the service order, but The Pretty One can take the car in knowing that ONLY the necessary work will be proposed and done.

 

The funny thing is this; if you do a task-specific work order, they will end up inspecting all that other stuff anyhow, because they're there, and if they find something that really IS off, let you know.

[chadwick35/04]

Per working at a subaru dealer the service would usually be oil and filter change and rotate tires rebalance if needed, and check air and fuel filters and change only if needed. I know that fuel filters cant really be checked but it is a good idea to change them due to the gas and keeping good mileage to save some money and that also goes with a clean air filter to.